Cassadines Don't Divorce
by Rebel65
Summary: The story opens June 1997, when Stefan catches Bobbie trying to drug him.This is how it should have played out. A short story with 6 chapters in total.
1. CDD Chapter 1

CDD1

**Introduction.  
  
Imagine for a moment, that it is June 1997 in Port Charles. Stefan and Bobbie are still married. Bobbie is working with Luke to foil Stefan's computer virus to take over the world. Stefan has been spending a lot of time with Katherine helping her to heal, which culminates in her walking on stage at the Nurses Ball. (No, don't spend too much time with particular image, it's not a pretty one). This is the stage I've set for this story. It takes us back to the time where Bobbie tries to drug Stefan to gain entrance into a certain wood box which she believes contains information/disks that Luke needs to defeat Stefan.  
  
I have changed a few significant details of GH history for this story: The computer virus, Stefan's relationship with Katherine, and the identity of Damian's Murderer. Also note, as far as Stefan knows, he has no sister, Alexis or otherwise.  
  
The beginning of this story:  
  
Bobbie steals some drugs from the GH controlled substance closet so she can put Stefan to sleep and steal his medallion, since his medallion is the only one that will open it. She pours the Port. Alexis calls to warn Stefan. Stefan switches glasses when Bobbie isn't looking and drinks it all. He pretends to sleep...... I have taken the liberty of borrowing a large proportion of the GH dialogue to suit my own purposes. Thank you GH for the wonderful scene I had the joy of borrowing from!  
  
  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Sliding off the bed with Stefan's medallion clasped in her hand, Bobbie, dressed in a revealing black negligee, walks over to the map on the wall and pulls it open to reveal a small cubby which holds an ornate box.  
  
Stefan slips up behind Bobbie as she stands in front of secret panel. His voice is feral as he grabs the arm of the fist that holds his medallion. ''What do you think you're doing?''  
  
Bobbie gasps in pain and alarm as she tries to pull away. ''You're hurting my arm.''  
  
Stefan holds her fast, indicating her clasped hand. ''Then open it.''  
  
Bobbie struggles futilely, blustering in an attempt throw him off. ''Stefan, this is my bedroom too, why are you doing this?''  
  
''I said open it!'' Stefan demands more furiously. Damn her, she was ruining everything. He knew she doubted him, with Luke whispering in her ear whenever his back was turned. He suspected she had buckled under Spencer's pressure, but this... drugging him so she could sneak behind his back to break into his private lock box. It was more than he imagined. Clearly he underestimated his wife's ability to lie and connive. Completely.  
  
Giving up the fight, Bobbie opens her hand, displaying his necklace with the medallion. Stefan removes it from her grasp, but still holds her arm fast. ''What were you doing with this? Hmm?'' His voice is silky, threatening. How far would she push this farce? What lies would spew from her lips? Already she was more Cassadine than he ever imagined she could be. His fury is growing by the second. To think all he'd done for her! He had laid the world at her feet, protected her from the harsher realities of her life! Gave her whatever she wanted before she could even ask for it.  
  
Bobbie improvises, but her voice betrays the lie. "It fell off when you fell asleep. I was putting it over here in a safe place.''  
  
"That's funny.." Stefan pretends to go along with her for a moment. "I don't remember falling asleep.. It must have been the Port. Do you think it was the Port, Barbara? You barely touched yours.''  
  
"It was giving me a headache.'' Bobbie feels the noose tightening around her neck as her words sound false even to her own ears. Stefan knew, he knew! How much did he know? Oh God, what would he do to her now? Would he hurt her? Would he hurt Luke? She had survived quite a lot in all her long often difficult life but Stefan.. she'd never known a man as secretive as him. She couldn't know what he was capable of.  
  
Stefan brings the wine glass to her lips, trying to force her to drink the  
tainted substance. "I switched glasses, didn't you notice? This was supposed to be my glass. Come now, drink. This Port is the best. Tell me that the best isn't wasted on you."  
  
Bobbie pushes his hand away, knocking the glass to the floor. Stefan's voice rises to a bellow."WHAT KIND OF POISON DID YOU USE?''  
  
''Poison? Why would you think I would give you poison?'' Bobbie struggles feebly against his tight hold. Oh God, she was done for now.  
  
Stefan pulls her against him, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her. ''I KNOW about your raid in the controlled substance closet. Alexis thought it was a strange way to commence a child's education. I want the truth, NOW."  
  
Bobbie changes tactics, using her feelings of betrayal to fuel her defense. "Stefan, you have no right to play the injured party here. You have been lying to me for months, sneaking around behind my back. DO YOU THINK I'M BLIND!?"  
  
Stefan stares at her incredulously. Had he completely misjudged her? Had he married a viper as ruthless as his mother? "FOR THAT.. You were going to murder me in my own bed!?"  
  
Bobbie laughs brittlely, her anger and fear churning in her stomach with the result of giving her eyes a misty look."Kill you?! You would have woke up tomorrow, just as cold and as ruthless as you are right now. BUT, by then, I'd have a little proof in my hand.." With a toss of her head she indicates the safe box. "THAT IS where you keep her disgusting love letters.. ISN'T IT?!''  
  
"How did you know the box needed my medallion to be opened?" There  
was only one person who could have given her the idea. "Say his  
name," Stefan breathes against her cheek. "Say it."  
  
"I figured it out myself," Bobbie retorts.  
  
Stefan pushes her away from him. If he held her for one more second, he might just commit murder."You have neither the wiles nor the experience for that kind of deduction, Barbara."  
  
Bobbie lashes out. "Do you have any idea how it felt, how it turned my stomach, lying in bed next to you and knowing what you are? First you shoot her, and then figure, hey, she's on her back...if you had killed her, would you have climbed up on her corpse?"  
  
Stefan, closing his slate gray silk robe with a vicious tug, sneers at her. "I know exactly who fed you that crude and fantastical story." Raising a condemning finger at her, he accuses. "You betrayed me with my mortal enemy, your brother!"  
  
Bobbie's eyes flash angrily, the hurt and betrayal that's been simmering on the surface erupts. "That's right. Luke wants to see you burn in hell, and I want to light the match!"  
  
"Aren't you ever going to grow tired of being pimped by your brother?" roars Stefan, cutting her to the bone.  
  
The cruelty of his attack is like a physical blow. Bobbie's eyes fill with tears. It's the same thing all over again. All her marriages come down to this. But she wouldn't crumble, not in front of him. She would hurt him as much as he's hurting her. "That pimp saved your nephew's life!"  
  
Stefan circles her, wondering at the extent of her betrayal. How long has she been playing him for a fool, how long has she been at Luke's beck and call? "So, did Luke coach you from the first, Barbara? From the moment of my proposal? Or perhaps even before then?"  
  
"No," Bobbie admits. Even now, after weeks of working against Stefan, of knowing his true nature, it still cut to the quick how much of herself she'd invested in this marriage. God, she had loved this man once, this monster. Where is the kind man she once knew? Was he ever there? "NO, I was stupid enough to love you, Stefan. I turned against the brother who raised and supported me to be with you, his sworn enemy. I turned away from the one man who I could always count on to tell me the truth. But you, you only used me! You have no right to feel disappointed now. I am what you made me!"  
  
Stefan takes hold of her trembling shoulders and shoves her into the nearby chair. When Bobbie tries to rise, he glowers at her, intimidating her back into the seat. "Unless you want to spend the night in jail for poisoning me, you will sit there until we are finished." Moving to the secret panel, he removes the ornate wooden box and places it on his dresser. Taking his medallion, he slides it into the lock and turns. The locks gives way with a soft snick. "Love letters? You think I would secure such drivel in this safe?" The disgust drips from his tone. "Come Barbara, you need more practice at lies because yours are such poor ones."  
  
Opening the box, Stefan notes with satisfaction that the false bottom, under which the computer disks are kept, is untouched _as if I would be so obvious? Neither you nor Luke would ever have found them, Barbara_. His fingers graze a video tape before grasping the manila folder and pulling it out. "For your information, the only possessions which require such safeguarding are those that threaten our family. Yours and Mine." Closing the box up again and locking it, he turns to face her.  
  
Bobbie eyes the file in Stefan's hands suspiciously. "I'm not interested in anything you have to show me unless it's proof of what a lying manipulator you are! Just let me go. Our marriage is finished. You don't love me, and I certainly don't love you!"  
  
"Did our marriage agreement ever contain a stipulation that we love or even trust each other? I think not," He retorts sarcastically."Trust has been a foreign concept in Cassadine marriages from the beginning, and you've confirmed the age-old tradition with your faithless behavior." Pacing in front of her he continues. "No, our marriage is far from finished. We will never be finished. Remember what I promised when I proposed to you? Cassadines do not divorce."  
  
"You have to be kidding me?! What possible reason could we have to remain married? Some antiquated tradition?" Bobbie rolls her eyes. "Well it's not enough to keep this Cassadine bride married. We will be divorced, with or without your consent."  
  
"We will remain married," Stefan reiterates, as if she never spoke. "If for no other reason than for our children. They will not be made to suffer for their parents' mistakes. We will raise our children together. All of our children: Nikolas, Lucas, and your daughter."  
  
Bobbie's flinches with pain at what she considers a brutal comment. "How could you be so cruel as to bring her up when you know she's dead?! That's low, even for you."  
  
"Your daughter, dead?" Stefan drops the file into her lap. "No, that is a story your 'honest' brother concocted to keep you in the dark, to keep you in line. Shortly after we were married, I did a little research of my own and found out the truth."  
  
Bobbie pales, her hands shake as she lifts the file off her lap. "What do you mean? Are you saying she's not dead?"  
  
"She is alive and well," Stefan answers, his lips curling into a cruel smile. "And she is living in Port Charles. Your loving brother has known the whole time. He has been lying to you for months." Putting his hands on the armrests of the chair, he leans over until they are face to face. "So tell me, Barbara. Who has been sneaking around behind your back?"  
  
Bobbie swallows convulsively, her stomach roiling like waves in a storm. His eyes show enough malicious satisfaction for her to believe his ridiculous assertion. But no, Luke wouldn't lie to her! He wouldn't make her think her daughter was dead?! Why? Why would he be so cruel? "You're lying! You're making this up. I don't know what game you're after, but I don't like it!"  
  
Just as he feared. Luke had made deep inroads with his wife, causing her to believe the worst of him. The distraction of Katherine caused him to ignore the warning signs. But no more. Stefan pushes off from the arms of her chair. "Look for yourself."  
  
"No, I won't!" Bobbie thrusts the file at him, shaking her head vehemently while tears are already gathering in her eyes. "I won't look at this, it's all lies. This is all some cruel fabrication on your part to keep me under your thumb. It's the only thing that makes sense."  
  
"I never thought of you as a coward, Barbara. In fact, one of the many qualities which drew me to you was your steadfastness. That you didn't shrink from the truth, no matter how difficult." He shakes his head angrily as he goads her. "So you will turn a blind eye to your brother's lies to spite me? Even if it costs you knowing your daughter? Your loyalty is touching, if misplaced." He thrusts the file back at her. "Look, Barbara. Look and decide for yourself. You are intelligent enough to discern what's truth and what's fiction. Unless he's destroyed that quality in you too?"  
  
Bobbie snatches the file back and with shaking hands opens it. The first thing that greets her is a picture of Carly Roberts. Beside it is a copy of a photo she has spent countless hours gazing at. It's a black and white picture of the little girl she gave up for adoption. The air in her lungs leaves in a woosh and her vision dims. It's a good thing Stefan forced her to sit or she's sure she would have passed out from the shock.  
  
Stefan watches her in the ominous silence and catches the brief flash of hope before the devastation and grief take hold. He would have spared her this, if only she had trusted him, if only her blasted brother hadn't interfered. He would have waited, found a way to build a bridge to Caroline and then let the mother and daughter relationship develop naturally. He crushes the sentimental feeling quickly. He has no time for it now, he is at war. Sentiment would have to come later, when his family is secure.  
  
"No, oh God no." Bobbie's voice is no more than a hoarse whisper.  
  
Stefan crosses his arms in front of him, the picture of arrogance."Yes, Barbara. It is all true. I would not lie about something this fundamental to our family. It affects not only you and me, but our children. I would not subject the children to a trauma of this magnitude on a whim. Whatever else you can say about me, you know this."  
  
_Caroline Benson aka Carly Roberts, raised by her adoptive mother, Virginia Benson..._ The words begin to blur. Bobbie closes her eyes, unable to read the specifics. She can barely absorb what she's seen already. She feels like she's drowning, losing all sense of perspective. Tonight was supposed to be about what? Revealing Stefan to be a lying conniving snake. Helping Luke do what? Right. Save the world from some deadly computer virus. All that seems insignificant, like some farfetched fairy tale compared to the nightmarish reality of her here and now. _Luke lied to me. He lied to me again!_ Bobbie forces herself to look at Stefan. "How.. how long have you known?"  
  
"I had her investigated after we wed, in preparation for a custody battle over Lucas, which I believed was imminent given his father's hostility. I had all of Tony's weaknesses investigated, which included his walking midlife crisis." Coming to a stop in front of her, he strokes his mustache and goatee thoughtfully. "Countless hours I agonized over telling you, but all I could see was the pain it would cause you. I wanted to spare you."  
  
Bobbie's laugh is short and shrill. "So you thought, 'I'll keep this around and when she steps out of line I will bash her over the head with it.' Have I got it right?"  
  
"Punish you like this? Even as furious as I am? No." Kneeling in front of her, his face is fiercely possessive. "What drives me to tell you now is my conviction that you deserve to know the truth about your sainted brother. The man you believe over your own husband. When we talked of marriage, I warned you he would stop at nothing to break us apart. And look at us tonight? You attempted to drug me. Even now, when I furnish you with the truth, you question my motives."  
  
Bobbie's tears flow more freely at each condemning word. But even in her agony at being betrayed, she keeps her brother's secrets. "You've been lying, keeping secrets for months. I'm not blind and stupid, I've seen how you look at that woman! What was I supposed to do? Wait until I found you two in our bed?"  
  
Stefan sees her lie for what it is, slight of hand. While Bobbie probably has knowledge of his dealings with Katherine and is hurt by it, he is certain this isn't the real purpose for the drugging tonight. No, Luke is on the trail of the computer chip in the base of the Faberge Egg. And with Barbara's nervous behavior of late, it isn't hard draw the conclusion she's involved and holds him responsible for the power outage at GH which almost cost Audrey her life.  
  
The antidote to Bobbie's suspicions of him would be the revelation of Luke's betrayal of her and the rest of the family. Once he was through exposing Luke's treachery, there would be no reason for Bobbie to believe any of Spencer's ravings, Cassadine plots or otherwise.  
  
"So this is what Luke has been whispering in your ear? That I have some secret amour for Katherine Bell? That somehow my wish to help a crippled woman has transformed into a great love?" Stefan snorts. "Please, what romantic drivel. Tell me, Barbara, who is assisting Katherine with her physical therapy, hmmm?"  
  
"Carly---" Bobbie closes her eyes. Of course. Luke's supposed source on Katherine was none other than her own daughter, the one who has hidden her true identity all along, the very one in cahoots with Luke. And such a reliable source of information, too. _GOD!_ How could she be so gullible? What else has Luke lied about? If he could lie to her about his own wife being dead, why is she surprised that he would lie about Caroline or anything else for that matter? What a fool she is!  
  
"Yes, I can see you understand how suspicious this all is. How infuriated I would be to stand accused by my wife on the basis of claims made by the two most consummate liars in Port Charles!" He leans over again, grasping the arms of her chair and penning her in, hammering her with his words. "And for this you want to forsake our marriage? Demolish the stable loving home we provide for our children? All because of lies and insecurities your brother has planted in your mind to rob you of the happiness you have found with me. And I know you have been happy in our marriage. I won't have it, Barbara. I won't have it."  
  
"I... I don't know what to think anymore." Bobbie clutches the file to her breast. Her daughter was alive... _alive_. It was still incomprehensible. She can't even begin to make sense of her feelings about that. But now, she needs answers about Luke's involvement. Luke had to have a reason to lie like this, he wouldn't be this cruel for sport. He would do it to protect her. But would he lie about Stefan if he believed he was protecting her? Of course he would. And if she didn't believe him, Luke was capable of manufacturing evidence so she would be forced to believe him. On those points Luke and Stefan are exactly alike.  
  
"I have tolerated his presence in our lives, I have acquiesced to your longing for a relationship with him because of how important he is to you." Kneeling, Stefan takes her tear-streaked face in his hands and holds it firmly. "But no more. I will not tolerate him taking you away from me, I will not stand by idly and allow him to destroy the family we have struggled to build, the loving home we have created for our children. You are my wife. I will not release you from your obligation to me, to our family. Tell me, does our family mean nothing to you? You would throw it all away for the paranoid ramblings of your brother?"  
  
Bobbie's face crumbles, her emotions in such an upheaval she doesn't know what's up or down. "You know I love our family! I love our life! I...." Bobbie's voice dies. God, she has no idea how she feels about Stefan anymore. For weeks she's convinced herself she hated him, or at best he meant nothing to her, but now she isn't sure of anything.  
  
His hands are soft yet resilient on her cheeks, comforting. A part of her wants nothing more than to surrender, to let him wrap her in a cocoon until she's healed. But she can't trust him. Not yet.  
  
Stefan senses the war in her, her yielding to the emotional pull he's exerting, then feels her withdrawal. Letting his hands drop from her face, Stefan rises. Bobbie feels bereft from the loss of contact.  
  
"Now I wonder why Luke would cajole you into breaking into my safe box in the first place," He ponders aloud. "Certainly he had no idea it contained the file on Caroline. So he was after something else. Did he tell you what it was?" He asks, not expecting an honest answer. He walks over to the box, unlocks it, and lifts out a videotape. "Perhaps this?"  
  
**


	2. CDD Chapter 2

untitled 2

**Chapter 2**

**  
Stefan and Bobbie's bedroom:  
  
Stefan rises from in front of Bobbie's seat. "Now I wonder why Luke would cajole you into breaking into my safe box in the first place... Certainly he had no idea it contained the file on Caroline. So he was after something else. Did he tell you what it was?" Stefan asks, not expecting an honest answer. He walks over to the box, unlocks it, and lifts out a videotape. "Perhaps this?"  
  
"What is it?" With the way this night has gone, she's wouldn't be surprised to find Stefan holding a nuclear bomb in his hands.  
  
"You want me to give away the ending? No, I can't possibly do that." Stefan reaches out his hand to his pale wife. "Shall we retire to study and watch the entertainment?"  
  
Bobbie refuses to budge."I can't, I can't take anymore tonight. I just...." A sob lodges in her throat. Right. No place to run, no safe place to hide out and lick wounds. Good job, Bobbie, you've done it again. Poor gullible Bobbie has no place to go.  
  
Before she thought her haven was Luke, her rock solid, never-steer-you-wrong brother. She could count on him even when she couldn't count on a husband, even when she couldn't count on her own judgment. He would never lead her astray, except.. except he has. Repeatedly and fundamentally. So not only can't she rely on her own judgment, she can't count on her rock of Gibraltar either.  
  
And where does that leave her? In a room wondering how her life became a twisted Jerry Springer Special. Her dull as dirt ex-husband is sleeping with her long lost daughter, her current husband just caught her trying to poison him, and her brother Luke is convinced there is a Cassadine plot to take over the world. Frankly it's too bizarre even for Jerry Springer.  
  
And in this life, she can't even trust her own basic instincts. Clearly she's going to have to trust something or someone. But who?  
  
Luke.  
  
Luke had lied about Laura being killed in a fire, he'd lied about her daughter being dead and God knows what else. But she'd trusted him all her life, and for the most part he has always had her best interests at heart. It's hard to discard that bond, that fundamental trust even when it's so sorely abused.  
  
Stefan.  
  
Well it isn't clear what Stefan had done exactly. He'd lied to her repeatedly for sure, but then he hadn't promised to be honest either. He was her brother's bitter enemy. Circumstantial evidence pointed to him being responsible for the power outage at GH which almost killed Audrey on the operating table. Maybe he was responsible for a deadly computer virus. Maybe he cheated on her with Katherine. Maybe, Maybe, maybe.  
  
So where does that leave her? With more questions than answers.  
  
Bobbie looks at Stefan dead in the eyes. The easy question first. "Have you slept with Katherine Bell? Have you cheated on me?"  
  
Stefan's eyebrows raise at the radical change in subject, but the look on Bobbie's face clearly indicates how seriously she expects an answer, that the fate of their marriage might rest on his answer. Not a time to evade. "I have been faithful to you since the day we married, and that includes any dealings Katherine Bell. Katherine will never be a threat to our marriage. Ever."  
  
Bobbie sighs. The problem with Stefan is that he can look you right in the eye and lie. Except... except he was much more likely to evade than lie directly. Bobbie is tempted to ask him.. are you attracted to her, are you in love with her. But she doesn't want the answers. Actions are what matter. Besides, he never promised to love her, so it's unfair to ask him if he's in love with Katherine. It isn't fundamental to their marriage. Studying his face, she believes he means what he says. Well that's one question answered.  
  
"I want to see the inside of your safe box."  
  
Stefan stands aside and waves her magnanimously forward to look inside. "By all means. Don't trust your husband. Look for yourself, you will see no love letters."  
  
Bobbie stands on shaky legs and crosses the room to look into the box. It was empty now, without the videotape and file. No letters, computer disks.... no microchips.... no other files. Just an empty innocent looking wood box. No evidence of a Cassadine plot in there. God, had she sacrificed her marriage for nothing?  
  
"Satisfied, My Darling?"  
  
Bobbie puts up her hand to wave off his sarcasm. "You wanted me to see this tape?"  
  
"A moment ago you refused."  
  
"I don't know if I can survive another one of your surprises, but what choice do I have?"  
  
"Before we move to the study, perhaps you would like to call your brother," Stefan suggests. "I am sure he is anxiously awaiting a status report." He hands her the phone. "Call him and tell him to give up the watch, Barbara. You won't be meeting him tonight."  
  
Right, Luke is on the docks waiting for a signal. Nothing like having your life blown to smithereens to make you forget a few details.  
  
Bobbie numbly takes the phone from Stefan. Hell, if Luke could lie to her, serves him right if she lies right back. Clumsy under the strain, she fumbles the phone while trying to dial and causes it to clatter to the floor.  
  
Stefan picks it up, asking softly, "What is his number?" Bobbie rattles it off while he dials. "Give him no indication of what has transpired tonight. None."  
  
Bobbie nods obediently, taking in a calming breath while waiting for Luke to answer. "Luke, it's me. No, everything's fine, it's just not going to work out tonight." She looks up at Stefan who is listening attentively to every word. "No, he doesn't suspect anything, I've been careful.... No, it's just the strain of it all.... right, we'll talk tomorrow. I've got to go, he's coming. Good night." Bobbie disconnects.  
  
Stefan plucks the phone from her hands. "You are quite adept at that, aren't you? A pity, since I will forever wonder whether you are telling me the truth."  
  
"Pot, Kettle," Bobbie mutters under her breath, shivering in her thin black negligee. "And just to set the record straight, I didn't lie for you."  
  
"Of course not," Stefan answers bitterly. Getting her robe from the close, he slips it over her shoulders and escorts her through the bedroom door. "Come, we must finish what we've begun. After tonight, there will be no more secrets between us."  
  
A few minutes later, Bobbie is seated in front of a television in the study, feeling much like a lamb waiting for slaughter. Stefan pops the videotape in and presses the power button. A few moments later an image of the back of a house comes into focus, a house that is familiar to her. She looks at Stefan in confusion. "The Ward House? This was before it burned!"  
  
"Indeed. Be certain to look in the windows. Can you detect anything?"  
  
Bobbie leans forward and takes a closer look. Her eyes widen with shock. "Flames? A videotape of the fire?!" Before she can ask why he's showing her this, a tall lanky male figure flees out the back door of the Ward house. A few minutes later, the house is completely engulfed in flames. Bobbie gasps. "Wait, rewind!"  
  
"Of course." Stefan points the remote at the VCR and the tape rewinds to play again.  
  
Bobbie's hand covers her mouth in growing horror as she watches the scene replay. "It can't be! It can't."  
  
"You recognize him?" Stefan prompts, for a moment pretending he doesn't know who the man is. "You know from attending Laura's murder trial that this must be the man who killed Damian Smith."  
  
Bobbie shakes her head over and over, her mind racing as she tries to find reasons not to believe it was Luke. But there isn't one. It was him, clear as day. "No.. No, it doesn't make sense. There must be some mistake. He said.. he said he was meeting Justus, and that the first time he saw the house it was already engulfed in flames!"  
  
"There is no mistake," Stefan counters smoothly. "Luke killed Damian Smith and left the scene of the fire where his wife was upstairs with helpless children. They could have easily been killed."  
  
Oh Lord, this was too much to contemplate. The lies! This wasn't one simple lie, it was months of lies. He lied through the whole traumatic ordeal and most likely intended to keep the secret forever. He didn't trust her to tell her the truth, not even when his life depended on it. Somehow, even with all the other lies, it seemed unreal. This had to be happening to someone else.  
  
Bobbie's lips quiver with the devastating reality. "He... he didn't know she was upstairs until he met Justus in front of the house! Justus was the one to tell him that Laura was upstairs with Lulu and one of the Ward babies." As the truth of the video sinks in, Bobbie's stomach tightens painfully. What Stefan said was true. Laura and Lulu could have been killed. She remembers with wrenching clarity those long painful minutes when Luke ran into the house and everyone thought they had perished. Then she recalls the almost knee-buckling relief she felt when they emerged from the carnage unscathed.  
  
"I am sure that is true, Barbara." Standing beside her chair, Stefan turns off the TV with the remote. "I won't dispute his love for his family. I am certain he would protect them with his life."  
  
"Oh God, he let Laura stand trial for murder," Bobbie whispers to herself. The shock has begun to wear off, to be replaced by a numbness that was almost comforting. Without thinking she reaches a cold hand out for Stefan. "He stood by and let her be arrested. Did Laura know all this time? No, she couldn't have. She was too terrified by the whole thing."  
  
Has he gone too far, showing Bobbie this? Stefan has a pang of guilt as he studies his deathly pale wife who is normally so vibrant. She looks like a fragile child all of a sudden, and utterly destroyed. He crouches in front of her, takes her trembling hand and tries to warm it between his. There is no going back, no taking this back now. Only following through. He will see her through this, and she will be his wife in mind and body once this is over. "I have no idea, Barbara."  
  
"He.. he wouldn't have let her go to prison for murder, certainly not a murder he committed. He wouldn't..." Bobbie shakes her head unable to finish the thought, the tears falling unheeded.  
  
"Maybe, maybe not," Stefan answers gently, still stroking her hand. "You know more what your brother is capable of. Of course, we will never know for certain what Luke would have done since Laura was acquitted." He pulls a handkerchief out of his robe pocket and tenderly dries her face before handing to her.  
  
Bobbie accepts the damp handkerchief and drags in a shaky breath. It's too much. Her chest hurts from the mountain grief she's holding at bay. She has to get a grip, now before she becomes as useless as a wet noodle on the floor. "You... you've had this tape all along. You've never used it."  
  
"Yes, it has been in my possession since before Laura's verdict, before I came to Port Charles. At one time I had plans to use it to destroy their marriage." Stefan explains, rising to his feet again. "But when I married you and Luke faked Laura's death, that plan ceased any importance. Safeguarding our family is my only interest now."  
  
"I just bet," Bobbie answers bitterly. "What was your goal exactly, in sharing this little gem now? If it was to level me, you did a great job, let me tell you!"  
  
"That was never my goal," Stefan protests. "I assure you. I thought you deserved to know the truth. The whole truth about your brother. I knew it would be difficult to digest. I knew you might be furious with me."  
  
"You knew I would hate him," Bobbie retorts angrily, almost relieved to have an outlet. "Well congratulations, Stefan, for a job well done."  
  
This wasn't going at all the way he planned, but then he'd been forced to do this on a spur of the moment, he hadn't had time to minimize the ramifications, or devise a plan so she wouldn't associate him with the information. If he lost her over this... No, he wouldn't lose her. He wouldn't. "What shouldn't I have told you, Barbara? What part did you want me to lie about?"  
  
"Don't turn this around on me!" Bobbie shoots back rising to her feet to meet him face to face. "You drop these bombs in my lap and expect me to thank you?!"  
  
"No I never expected you to thank me," Stefan answers sarcastically. "Why would you thank me for the truth when you want to delude yourself into believing your brother is a hero?"  
  
"You bet I do!" Bobbie voice breaks, fresh tears coursing down her face in a torrent. "Tell me, who doesn't want their older brother to be their hero? Who? And you took that away from me!" She lurches away from him on unsteady feet but Stefan grabs her elbows to steady her, bringing her close for an embrace. "Let me go!" She sobs, fighting against his hold.  
  
"No, not when you are this distraught," Stefan answers in pained whisper, shaken by Bobbie's outburst. After a moment, Bobbie surrenders and leans against him. He runs his fingers through her red hair soothingly while she weeps brokenly against his chest. "Just let it out, Barbara. It's all right."  
  
"It's not all right! It'll never be all right again." Bobbie stiffens in his arms, pushing against his chest until he drops his hands and steps back. She turns away from him and collapses into the seat she just vacated "I need to be alone. I need to think."  
  
Stefan regards her bowed head for a moment, torn between wanting to comfort her and knowing he must honor her request. Yielding to the inevitable, he says to her, "As you wish." Quietly he retreats through the study door. In the hall, he meets a male servant. "Watch her. Go where she goes and report her movements to me. Do nothing else. If she takes the launch, call Milton on the mainland and have him track her from there. Are my instructions clear?"  
  
"Yes Sir."  
  
**


	3. Default Chapter 3

CDD3

  
Chapter 3  
  
When Alexis arrives home, she finds Stefan standing in the corner of the conservatory, staring out the darkened window in deep contemplation. Alexis breaks the quiet of the room. "So Wyndemere is still standing. I wasn't sure what to expect."  
  
Stefan turns away from the window to scowl at Alexis' attempt at humor. "I am not my brother, Alexis. You know I am not prone to violent rages, Even when provoked."  
  
"It's not every day your wife tries to kill you." Alexis walks into the room, deposits her briefcase beside the end table, and removes her trench coat. "I didn't see any police on my way over, so I'm guessing you didn't press charges?"  
  
"Please, you know very well I wouldn't have her arrested unless it was absolutely necessary." Walking up behind one of the high back chairs, he rests his hands on the top cross bar. Stefan gives the impression of confidence while inside his mind is churning over the ugliness of his argument with Bobbie. "There are other more subtle avenues that will produce the desired outcome. The police option can be kept in reserve in the event it becomes necessary. Regardless, Barbara will do precisely what I wish her to do."  
  
"She's still here? Is she packing?"  
  
Stefan narrows his gaze at Alexis, his voice cool and resolute. "Barbara isn't going anywhere. You know Cassadines don't divorce."  
  
Alexis trains her eyes skyward in derision over the antiquated notion. She wasn't a lawyer just for the business suits. "Stefan, this is the United States, it's 1997. We don't live in medieval times anymore. She tried to poison you! It's more than sufficient cause for divorce, even in the Cassadine world."  
  
Stefan crosses his arms. "I will not be the first to break from tradition, and I will not tear apart our family on the first sign of trouble. Nikolas finally has a mother who loves him as he should be loved. You have seen the change in him, he is coming out of his shell. I will not disappoint him."  
  
"Stefan, she tried to kill you." Alexis comes to a stand in front of him, laying a hand on his bearded cheek. His reaction to this is baffling. If she were a gambler, she would have laid odds that Stefan would throw Bobbie out on her ear over this. Stefan demanded loyalty from those around him. "Nikolas would understand, he would even agree."  
  
"My decision is final." Stefan takes her hand and kisses it in gratitude. Not just for her concern, but for alerting him to Bobbie's treachery. "As it turned out, she had no intention of 'killing' me. She merely wanted me incapacitated so she could gain access to the safe box in our bedroom. Somehow she learned my medallion would open it." He shakes his head ruefully. "Spencer's fingerprints are all over this. After some pressing, she admitted as much. She maintained she was searching for love letters from Katherine."  
  
"Her lie isn't all that farfetched given how you two have been practically mooning over each other."  
  
"Mooning? Your Americanization is disgustingly complete, Alexis. Despite appearances, I have nothing but pity for Katherine Bell."  
  
Alexis walks to the sofa and plops down. This had been a long day in an endless line of long days. "You could have fooled me."  
  
"Excellent. If I convinced you that I cared for her, then I am certain I have fooled Katherine. My 'infatuation' with her was necessary in order to both monitor her relationship with Nikolas and gain her silence over the shooting. After the Nurses Ball I broke off all contact under the pretense that I could not abandon Barbara. We parted ways with her convinced I was fighting my true feelings." A slow smile crosses Stefan's face. "It suits my purposes nicely. I am free of her."  
  
Alexis glowers at him, annoyed at being left out of the fun. The last few months she'd been nauseated over Stefan's obsession with Katherine, and to think it was all a scheme! "You could have let me in on it!"  
  
"And ruin the ruse? No, your distaste and disapproval had to be genuine for Katherine to accept it as truth. While she isn't particularly intelligent, she is cunning. All the years she spent conniving and manipulating has honed her intuition for deceit."  
  
"And all this time I thought you had blinders on where she was concerned!" Alexis pouts."So what is Bobbie doing now?"  
  
Stefan sobers. "I imagine she is still in my study digesting the bitter news I gave her. Walters will keep tabs on her."  
  
"You think it's wise to leave her alone in your study? If she discovers..."  
  
"All the evidence has been destroyed," Stefan assures. "Everything, that is, except the disks hidden in the bottom of the box she tried to break into. Even then, she would never have discovered them."  
  
"But your computer...." Alexis worries her lip. "With Luke's help she might be able to break the password..."  
  
"My computer is clean of all traces, so there is nothing to discover," Stefan asserts, coming around the chair and joining Alexis on the couch. "You recall the time when I suspected someone had tried to tamper with my computer?" Alexis nods. "I've had my suspicions since that Barbara might be involved. Her behavior has been erratic, warm and affectionate one moment, then suddenly cold and withdrawn. This past week she has been overly...." Stefan winces inwardly over the knowledge that Bobbie's passionate overtures had been an ploy. "Solicitous. I believe she was hoping to keep me too distracted to notice. It might have worked had you not caught on to her plot."  
  
"You suspended the virus so abruptly, but you wouldn't explain..." Alexis' face turns grim as she digests the incriminating information. All of Bobbie's nervousness in the last few weeks made sense now. "Why didn't you tell me of your suspicions?"  
  
Stefan turns his body towards Alexis and puts his arm on the back of the sofa. "You are quite fond of Barbara, and I had no proof. There was no reason to taint your friendship with her if it turned into nothing." _And I hoped I was wrong_, he adds silently.  
  
"Of course this just makes her one of us." Alexis smiles wryly at the irony. "Keeping secrets, trying to poison family members.. who would have thought? Although Cassadines don't usually conspire with Spencers to achieve their goals."  
  
"There is a first for everything." Stefan answers.  
  
"So what now? On one hand I'm glad she's staying, but I'm not going to be able to take it lightly. It'll be a long time, if ever, before I can trust her again."  
  
"Nor would I want you to take what she did lightly, Alexis. But not a whisper of this can reach Nikolas and Lucas. I won't have them harmed, confused or living in fear. I am, in part, responsible for this debacle. I neglected Barbara terribly. She is, by nature, a trusting woman and I abused that trust," Stefan explains. "At the time it was necessary to control the threat of Katherine, but what has occurred tonight serves as a warning. One which I have every intention of heeding. This is why I aborted the computer virus and why my next goal will be removing Luke Spencer permanently from Port Charles and his sister's life. I should have done this the moment the Spencers returned, but I hesitated. Now I am paying the price."  
  
"So how do you plan to get rid of Luke? He's got her pretty firmly in his pocket."  
  
"I've already taken the first step tonight," Stefan answers. "After what she just learned she won't believe another word out of her brother's mouth." Not for the first time, he wonders why he isn't happier about this. He should feel more triumphant, shouldn't he? His success in destroying Luke's relationship with Bobbie is almost assured.  
  
The knowledge of what Stefan has done dawns to Alexis . "You told her about Carly? About Luke murdering Damian Smith?"  
  
"Yes, with Spencer nipping at my heels and Barbara determined to dissolve our marriage, I had no other recourse but to tell her everything." Finally, his wife would be free of her brother. But the cost had been high, too high for his comfort, and the casualties were severe. "I believe I succeeded in making her despise him."  
  
"Wow. That must have been some conversation." Alexis searches his face, surprised to see how desolate he looks "Wait, why aren't you pleased? Bobbie believed you, didn't she??"  
  
"You know how loathe I was to use the information. I never had any intention of revealing them in such a blatant and brutal way." Now he had to contend with a hurt, angry, and distraught wife who rightly blamed him for destroying her savior. The shattered look on her face would not be one he'd forget anytime soon. The bile rising in his throat, Stefan stands up and turns his back to Alexis. "She had no choice but to believe me with the evidence in front of her. Needless to say, she was devastated by the news."  
  
"She doesn't deserve to be hurt like this," Alexis says, finding herself feeling sorry for Bobbie in spite of everything. "What was Luke thinking?"  
  
"The way she looked at me.... after I told her the truth." He shakes his head ruefully. "She hated me. Our argument after I caught her with my medallion was ugly, but there was fire in her eyes; even in our mutual rage, there was a connection between us. I wasn't afraid. But after she saw the video tape, she was colder than I'd ever seen her." Stefan's fear takes root and he holds onto the back of a chair for support. "I won't lose her over this, I won't."  
  
Alexis gapes at him. "My God, you're in love with her."  
  
"Love?" Stefan's eyes glitter dangerously. "Love means nothing. I need her, I need our family. Moreover, Nikolas needs our family. I won't lose her. Ever."  
  
  
"Sir?"  
  
Stefan closes the book, giving up any pretense of reading. "Yes, Walters?"  
  
"Mrs Cassadine boarded the launch some time ago," Walters states. "I advised Milton of your instructions. He called in a few moments ago to say he observed her having a brief conversation with Master Nikolas before heading in the direction of her brother's club. Milton is tailing her at a discreet distance."  
  
Stefan removes his spectacles and puts them in the pocket of his robe before rising from the sofa. "Thank you, that will be all for tonight." He crosses the room, picks up the phone and dials. After a few rings, the phone is answered. "Nikolas."  
  
"Hello Uncle, I was just about to board the launch," Nikolas answers. "I just had the oddest conversation with Bobbie."  
  
"What did she say?"  
  
"Not much, but she hugged me, then said she wanted to be sure I knew how much she loved me," Nikolas relates. "What happened?"  
  
Stefan ignored the question. "I need you to do an errand for me."  
  
"You two had an argument, didn't you?" Nikolas guesses. "What did you say to upset her? If she leaves..."  
  
"She will **not** leave," Stefan refutes adamantly. "Furthermore, I do not appreciate being grilled by my teenage nephew on the state of my marriage."  
  
"I care about her, Uncle! I warned you I didn't want her hurt."  
  
"Again, my marriage is not your concern," Stefan answers tersely. "If you care so much about your stepmother, then you will do what I ask."  
  
Nikolas reins in his suspicions, he will be better able to figure out what's going on once he's back at Wyndemere. "I'm sorry, Uncle. What is it you want me to do?"  
  
"I need you to bring Lucas back to Wyndemere. Barbara received some distressing family news tonight," Stefan relays. "And while it is not my place to reveal what is upsetting her, I believe she would find comfort in having all of her family nearby. Can you do this for her? Lucas is at the Brownstone with Felicia Jones."  
  
"I'll head over there now."  
  
"Thank you, Nikolas."  
  
"Sure, I'll see you in an hour."  
  
  



	4. Default Chapter 4

CDD1

  
Chapter 4  
  
The soulful strains of the blues are the antithesis of how Bobbie feels when she enters Luke's club. Prepared for battle, She strides grimly towards the bar where Luke and Claude are bantering with the customers. Luke catches sight of her, starts to grin, but the smile dies at the sight of her glower. "Woah, Baby. What happened to you? Is Stiff prowling around Kitty Kat Bell again?"  
  
Bobbie stops a few feet from the bar and lifts her chin defiantly. "In your office, Luke. Unless you want me to air your dirty laundry in public."  
  
Claude gives a low whistle. "I think she's ticked at you, Luke."  
  
Luke tosses the bar towel down. "You got my attention. You want office, Doll, office it is." Leading Bobbie to the back of the club, he calls back to Claude, "Mind the fort, will ya? No interruptions, even if the club's on fire, ya got it?"  
  
Luke waves Bobbie into his office and closes the door, locking it from the inside to guarantee their privacy. "Ok, spit it out. What's got your underwear in a twist, Darlin'?" Rounding the desk, He leans back in the chair and studies his sister. She is royally pissed at him, no doubt about it.  
  
"My underwear is in a knot about this." Bobbie slams the manila file down on his desk. She presses her palms into the desk and leans over so she's eye to eye with Luke. "This was one of the presents my husband gave me tonight when he caught me trying to drug him."  
  
"Damn." Luke's heart drops into his stomach. Leaning forward he flips open the file, takes one look at Carly's face, and winces. "Sh**."  
  
"Well, if I ever had any doubt whether it was the truth, I have my answer now. DAMN YOU, Luke. DAMN YOU."  
  
"Listen, Honey," Luke tries to explain. "You gotta remember what was going on at the time. I came to tell you who she was the same night you found her in the sack with Tony..."  
  
"I had a right to know!" Bobbie shoots back.  
  
Slouching over his desk, Luke rubs his hand over his head. "It was ugly, Barbara Jean. Am I so bad for wanting to protect you from it?!"  
  
"Just shut up, Luke," She blasts back. "I don't want to hear it. It's too damn late for excuses. Maybe," Bobbie straightens to her full height and draws in a calming breath. "Maybe if you'd come to me yourself and told me I would have been open to listening. Hell, if Stefan hadn't dumped **this** in my lap too," She pauses to drop the video tape on top of the file. "I probably would have tried to understand. Maybe even forgiven you eventually."  
  
"What the hell is that?"  
  
"It's definitive proof that Laura didn't kill Damian Smith," Bobbie pronounces. "In fact, it shows the identity of the murderer in all his cowardly glory, running out the back door of a burning Ward House."  
  
Luke turns white. "Stefan was having me followed?"  
  
"Do I even CARE?" Bobbie snaps. "You left your wife and daughter in a burning building, you jerk! They could have died!"  
  
"I didn't know they were there!" Luke's voice cracks. The whole nightmare of the night and the ensuing months of agony come back with a rush. The surge of fury at finding Damian torching the place, killing Damian, running outside to the horror of finding out from Justus that Laura and Lulu were trapped inside. "When Justus told me they were inside I almost died on the spot. I wanted to die! I ran in to save them. I swear I didn't set the fire, Barbara Jean. Damian did that."  
  
"No, you didn't set the fire, you just used it as a cover for bashing his head in."  
  
Luke leans back morosely, his voice turning steely and cold, remembering all the man had done to mess with his family, Bobbie included. "Damian needed to die and I did what needed to be done. I'm not sorry he's dead."  
  
"Yeah, and you did such a bang up job that Laura ended up in jail, ended up standing trial for a murder YOU committed!" Bobbie steps back from Luke. "I don't even know who you are anymore."  
  
"Is this what your husband has been feeding you? He's been whispering in your ear about big bad Luke? Don't you see he's playing you?"  
  
Bobbie paces in front of the desk. "I know exactly what Stefan is and what he is capable of. I have no illusions about him. I'm also smart enough to see the facts and draw my own conclusions." She stops and turns towards Luke, pointing a finger at him. "You're the one who specializes in whispering in my ear!"  
  
"So now you sit in judgment, Baby Sister?" Luke retorts, the bitterness and guilt etched in his face suddenly revealing his age. "Must be nice to sit high and mighty over the rest of us."  
  
"Damn you, Luke. You're the one I've always counted on! Through it all, when I was turning tricks in the gutter, when I was pregnant, when I gave my baby up for adoption, through all my failed marriages, it's always been YOU. I could always count on you." Bobbie feels the tears threaten and blinks them back. "I could call on you for solid advice or to get me out of a jam when I needed it. The brother I know and love wouldn't let his wife stand trial for a murder he committed! He wouldn't let her rot in jail, away from her babies! He wouldn't lie about his sister's daughter being dead either! What happened to you, Luke?"  
  
Luke slumps a little, the fight going out of him. His voice is tired as he answers."I'm still the same man, Barbara. I had good reasons for what I did."  
  
Bobbie crosses her arms in front of her chest. "You always seem to have good reasons. What are they this time?"  
  
"My confessing to Damian's murder wouldn't have helped my family," Luke begins, snagging the fifth of bourbon from his bottom drawer along with the shot glass, pouring it and downing it in one long gulp. The explanation comes out in a harsh rasp. "Laura made it clear she didn't want the truth and telling you wouldn't have helped one damn bit. It just would have made you an accessory after the fact and cause you needless worry. The best thing for everyone was for me to keep quiet. Laura would never have been convicted of Damian's murder. I wouldn't have allowed it."  
  
Bobbie doesn't even hear that Laura might have known, only that Luke made the decisions for everyone. "You are completely out of your mind! You've convinced yourself what you did is right?! Who are you to play God with everyone's lives?!"  
  
Luke sees red. Doesn't she get how difficult this is for him? That it's eating him alive? That the nightmare of Laura behind bars will eat at him until the day he dies? He doesn't need her condemnation too. "You may have a right to be angry at me for lying to you about Carly, but you have no right to judge me for anything else, you got that, Baby Sister? It's **my** family and **my** life!"  
  
Not for the first time tonight, Bobbie feels his brutal words as a physical blow, knocking the wind out of her. But the fighter in her recovers quickly, shoving the hurt deep down. She is suddenly calm, her voice reasonable, rational. "You're absolutely right, it's **your** family and **your** life. And I'm not a part of your family anymore. As of this moment, I cease to be your sister. Do not talk to me, do not call me, do not write. Just consider yourself an only child, because Luke, I'm done."  
  
Luke pours himself another shot and downs it. He'd gone too far, but he wasn't going to apologize. "I won't hold you to that, Darlin'. You'll calm down and understand why I did what I did."  
  
"Look at me, Luke." Bobbie shows him her most determined look. She's DEAD serious. "I'm as serious as a heart attack. I'm through. You have your family, I have mine."  
  
Luke's gut twists, Bobbie has never looked more serious in her life. He swallows the lump of dread in his voice. Things had definitely gotten out of control. "Hell. What do you want me to do, Barbara Jean? Say I'm sorry? Tell you you're right, I screwed up?"  
  
Bobbie picks up the manila file, leaving the tape on the desk. "Nothing. I don't want anything more from you. Take your dopey pet names for me and stuff them. Keep the tape as a souvenir. You're dead to me, Luke." She strolls to the door. With her hand on the knob she turns back one last time to Luke who sits in his chair blinking, struck silent. "I'll give you this last bit of advice, though frankly, I'm giving it more for your wife and children's sake because they still love you and they would be destroyed if you ended up in jail for Damian's murder. **_Run_**. Gather your family and run as far and as fast as you can and don't come back. No doubt Stefan has copies of the tape. He is furious enough to relish using it to get rid of you for good. And honestly, I can't blame him." With that, Bobbie unlocks the door and slams out.  
  
Defeated, Luke sags over the desk, his head in his hands. For several minutes he sits in silence, going over and over the argument with Bobbie. Picking up the phone, he makes a call. "Baby it's me. I need you to start packing.... Just the carpet bag, Lulu and Lesley..." His voice gets sharp when he hears an argument over the phone. "Laura, just do it please...." His voice softens at her intuitive understanding. He swipes at his damp eyes. "Yeah, it's that bad. I wouldn't ask this otherwise.... Yeah, Cowboy and I will meet you at the rendevous point, 24 hours tops."  
  


**_Note: When this was originally posted on the Soapzone board, I had forgotten for a moment that Laura was in Switzerland with Lesley and Lulu. I fixed the mistake here._


	5. Default Chapter 5

cdd1

  
Chapter 5  
  
Wyndemere  
  
Stefan stands in the door of the master bedroom. "What are you doing?"  
  
Bobbie doesn't look up from the suitcase she's packing. "What does it look like I'm doing?"  
  
"You are planning to leave." **_Over my dead body._**  
  
Bobbie's movements are swift and efficient as she packs the assembled pile on the bed. The only the things she's taking are the things she can't live without. She wasn't packing any of the clothes she bought as Stefan's wife, only the belongings she came with. Favorite sweaters, keepsakes, the jewelry box from the Brownstone, photo albums, pictures of her children. "Can't get out of here fast enough. I thank my lucky stars Lucas is at Felicia's tonight because he won't have to be a part of this." Her anger is ever present as a shield an energizer to keep her moving. She had plenty of time to fall apart later.  
  
"He is not at Felicia's," Stefan informs her. "He is down the hall in his bedroom, sleeping. Where he belongs."  
  
"WHAT?!" Bobbie abandons the suitcase to approach Stefan. "What did you do? Snatch Lucas out of his bed at Felicia's the moment I had my back turned?"  
  
"You are letting your imagination get the better of you," Stefan answers, using an arrogant tone designed to make her feel two inches tall. "Given the difficult night you've had, I asked Nikolas to pick him up on his way home. I thought you would find comfort in having Lucas close by tonight."  
  
"You might have sold that line of bull to Nikolas, but we both know that's a crock! You did it so I wouldn't leave tonight. What's next, huh? Planning on drugging me and whisking me off to the Cassadine Island in Greece if I try to leave? Isn't that what Cassadine men do when their playthings won't stay where they're put?"  
  
Stefan's face darkens. "You are not a plaything. You are my **wife**."  
  
"My mistake was in not packing before I left to go see Luke," Bobbie says crisply, returning to her packing. Damn it, leaving in the middle of the night would be confusing and upsetting to Lucas, but it was necessary. Necessary because she wasn't sure how long she could keep going on anger. She didn't want to fall apart here, not where Stefan would certainly take advantage. "Then I never would have had to come back here."  
  
"You are so afraid of me that you can't spend another night under my roof? Am I that much of a monster?"  
  
"You are a despicable snake, that's what you are. I tried to drug you tonight and when you found out, rather than throwing me out like any self-respecting man would, you proceeded to blow my life apart! Tell me one good reason I shouldn't run for the hills?"  
  
Stefan fights to keep his voice calm against his rising ire. "Because you are my wife. You belong here, with me. We have a children who need us. We have a good life together. But rather than work out our difficulties, you plan to walk out."  
  
"You were fawning over another woman, a Laura Spencer look-alike no less!" Bobbie slams an old sweater on top with the force of her rage. "You don't think I know where I stand? You were right before, I'm not a plaything. I'm the frumpy little wife you come home to when you get bored with your other lovers."  
  
"I have made it clear to you over and over there is nothing between Katherine Bell and me. You talk of wanting the truth, but when I give it to you, you either refuse to believe me or hate me for it."  
  
Bobbie's packing keeps up with the furious pace of her speech. "You stored up those 'secrets' and waited to use them until they could do the most damage. Damn you, Stefan. What you did tonight you did to hurt me. I'm your wife, the one you are supposed to protect and care for above all others..." Her voice cracks, the veneer of anger cracking for just a moment before she can clamp down on it. "I'm not as stupid as you think. You were punishing me for daring to question your actions, for daring to defy you! To knock me off balance so I would be vulnerable to you again. What are you going to do next time I'm out of line? Destroy my other friendships? Find a way to take Lucas away from me? Reveal Ruby's deep dark secrets? I can't live with a man who is so malicious."  
  
"You have the audacity to be furious at **my** tactics after you betrayed me, betrayed our marriage? When have I ever mistreated you? I have been an attentive husband, a good father. Solid, reliable, affectionate. All the qualities of a husband you wanted, and I promised to be." She could do all the packing she wanted, she could pack the entire contents of Wyndemere for all Stefan cared. But it wouldn't change the fact that she wasn't going anywhere.  
  
"You never cared for me," Bobbie retorts. Now that the pile on the bed is packed, she scans the room for anything she might have missed. "You just don't want Luke to win. Well, congratulations. He's gone from my life forever. I saw him tonight and cut all ties. I told him to leave town and never come back. And he'll leave because I made him believe he'd be arrested if he stayed. Happy? Now that you got what you really want, just leave me in peace."  
  
"No, I will not. I cannot." If he let her go now, Bobbie would kill whatever remaining feelings she had for him. He knew this about her. Either he convinces her now to stay willingly, or he'd have to resort to more drastic measures.  
  
Bobbie snaps her suitcase shut, lifts it, and tries to barge past Stefan. Stefan blocks her exit. "Get out of my way," Bobbie demands.  
  
"No." Stefan reaches for her suitcase and tugs it out of her hands. It thumps to the floor. Bobbie struggles, shoving at his chest as his arms circle her. "We are not finished, Barbara. We will never be finished."  
  
"Stop it! You don't want me. You've never wanted me!" Bobbie cries in earnest as she fights against his hold. Why is he doing this? Why is he fighting so hard to keep her?  
  
"I have always wanted you," Stefan whispers against her hair, tightening his embrace until she's crushed against him. The threat of losing her forces him to say what he would never say otherwise. "It's always been you. Since the night in the Dominican Republic, it's been you."  
  
"NO!" How could he bring that moment of their past up? That perfect night when she melted under his heat. Even now, when she should hate him, she can feel herself melting. If she stayed much longer in his arms, she would be lost. "Let me go, Stefan, please."  
  
"I cannot," answers Stefan's hoarsely, his lips pressing into hair close to her ear. He gathers her even more closely in his arms, ignoring her waning attempts to ward him off. "I will not. How could I? You are my **wife**, our family needs you. **I** need you."  
  
"Don't say that!" With the protection of her rage gone, Bobbie starts to weep. Why was he making this so difficult? He was obliterating her defenses as if they didn't exist, making her feel things for him that she'd promised herself she'd never feel for him again. She wasn't supposed to still love him. Their marriage couldn't work now. There was too much between them. Lies upon lies upon betrayal. On both sides. "Don't say that because you don't mean it! I can't take you lying about that. It hurts too much."  
  
Stefan's hands cup her damp cheeks. Tilting her head back, he shows her the tears glittering in his eyes, the trembling of his lips, and the agony etched in deep lines on his face. "Do I look like I'm lying, Barbara? Do I?"  
  
She had only seen him this shaken a few times, at the time of Laura's 'death' and when Nikolas' life had been in danger.**_Oh God_**_._ Bobbie's knees buckle and she grabs the lapel of his robe. He didn't mean it! He couldn't. "Stop," She chokes out. "... stop."  
  
"Don't you think I would do anything for this not to be true? I fought against it, my entire life I have kept myself apart. Alone. Then I met you, and recognized the other part of me. Why else would I marry you but to keep you with me always? I need you in my life, Barbara. Especially now, with the betrayals and lies behind us, I need you."  
  
It was useless to fight against Stefan's relentlessness, his twisted Cassadine logic coupled with an emotional appeal that struck to her very soul. After the emotional roller coaster of the last twenty four hours, she just didn't have the strength to fight him, to fight her own feelings for him. God help her, she still wanted this man, and more desperately, she wanted to be wanted by him. Every cell in her body screamed to meld with him, and with each passing moment the voice of reason grew weaker. She struggles to form a coherent sentence. "I... I...."  
  
"Tell me you don't want me." The first touch of his lips on hers caused her to whimper. She was gone. "Tell me you don't want this." Stefan slanted his mouth over hers again and again, endlessly, his tenderness crashing through her tattered defenses until she is bare and open to him. Sensing the change, he parts her lips easily, stroking her tongue with his, coaxing her response until she was pressing against him, yearning for more, tearing at his robe. Abruptly he breaks contact to look down at her flushed face, her swollen lips, her breath coming in gulps. Breathless himself, he reaches a hand up to gently stroke her cheek, pleased when she closes her eyes and leans her face into his palm. "Yes. You can't deny it, can you? You need me so much it burns."  
  
"Stefan, please." Bobbie is beyond reason, beyond thought. All that exists in this moment is her desire for him. Trembling and vulnerable, she presses a kiss into his palm. She would give anything he asked at this moment for his touch. What made her think she could walk away from this?  
  
Stefan takes one of her hands and places over his wildly racing heart. "Can you feel it? It is the same for me. I need you, Barbara. Do not deny me."  
  
She couldn't deny him any more than she could deny herself. Raising her other hand and placing it beside it's mate, she answers his plea by sweeping his robe off his shoulders in one smooth move and leaving his nude from the waist up. God, she never got over how beautiful he is. Her fingers rove over his lightly furred chest, enjoying it's hard planes and contours. Soon her lips follow her hands on their exploration.  
  
Stefan softly groans as her lips tease one of his nipples and then the other. Closing his eyes, he gathers her burnished red hair in his hands, letting his fingers comb through it's luxurious length. No other woman matched his passion so well as her. Tilting her head back, he kisses her ravenously, devouring her, knowing she can handle whatever he demands of her, that she will not shrink in fear. This is not a practiced seduction, but a fire burning bright between them, brighter because of the threat to their union. Lips crushing against lips, tongues mating, hands seeking skin, clothes hitting the floor, legs buckling.  
  
Before Bobbie can fall, Stefan lifts her in his arms and carries her the short distance to their bed. Laying her down he strips his remaining clothes and joins her, tangling his legs with hers, catching his breath at the touch of her bare thigh against his. Stefan hesitates for a second, his head swimming. He tries to rein himself in, knowing if he doesn't, he'll take her now, without preamble, like some selfish teenage imbecile with no self control. How could it still be like this, after months of slaking each other's needs?  
  
"Don't," Bobbie urges against his throat as she nips at his bearded jaw. Her body arches at his touch, ablaze in the wanton lovemaking. "Don't curb yourself, not when I want you so much I can't see straight."  
  
Stefan obeys her plea, joining with her in one swift move, capturing her cry in his mouth and renewing their bond. They make love, consumed with a passion so fierce, so savage and primal they wouldn't have noticed if the house fell down around their ears.  
  



	6. Default Chapter 6

cdd6

Chapter 6

  
Wyndemere  
  
Morning sun filters through the drapes. Bobbie stretches sleepily to find herself curled up against the warm very male body of her husband. His arm is draped possessively around her waist. Hmmmm, She could definitely get used to this.  
  
Turning from her side to her back, Bobbie looks over at Stefan, who seems to be almost sleepy as she is. He tightens his grip on her, pulling her body more closely to him and slipping one leg between hers. He kisses her thoroughly into full wakefulness and renewed desire. Bobbie is the first one to pull away. "Gee, I hope we're starting a new marriage tradition. Waking up in your arms definitely has it's perks."  
  
"Do I detect a hint of criticism for my morning routine?" Stefan asks, pretending to be offended.  
  
Bobbie traces a sensuous line from the base of his neck along his shoulder blade to his shoulder. "For the one that has you awake and out of our bed before dawn, yes."  
  
"I suppose I could be persuaded to modify it."  
  
Stefan leans down to nibble at her throat, his teeth scoring her skin. Bobbie closes her eyes, arches against him and sighs. "On second thought, waking up like this could spoil me for the whole day. I'd never want to get out of bed."  
  
Stefan rolls on top of her until she's pinned, gazing down at her with a lazy self-satisfied smile. His fingers twine in her curls. "That plan has merit."  
  
Bobbie closes her eyes, loving the feel of his hand stroking her hair. It is more than a little tempting to drown herself again in their mutual lust. Sex is the one aspect of their marriage where they always understand each other. But the problems that were there last night are still looming. The proverbial elephant in the room they aren't talking about.  
  
"We need to talk."  
  
His fingers halt momentarily before resuming their caress. His smile becomes more guarded. "I suppose we must."  
  
Bobbie waits for Stefan to move off her, and when he doesn't she gives him a pointed look. "Don't you think we should be dressed for this conversation?"  
  
"In all honesty? No. I believe we stand a much better chance of avoiding bloodshed if we remain in bed," Stefan explains. "Once we are clothed, we put on our armor."  
  
"You've got a point." Bobbie takes a deep breath. "You said you wanted us to stay married, for our family, for our children."  
  
"Yes, I did." Stefan's eyes glitter with the strength of his conviction. "Do you remember what I said when I proposed marriage to you? I promised I would do anything to keep you. I meant every word then and I mean them now. After last night, do you have any doubt?"  
  
Bobbie blushes at the memory of how he set about convincing her. He hadn't said the words of love, but what he said meant more than love. He **_needed _** her. In the face of that, she'd lost the fight to leave. Now... now she doesn't want to. She reaches up a hand to cup his cheek, her eyes soft and warm. "But can you trust me again, even after I betrayed you?"  
  
"You aren't the first Cassadine wife who tried to drug her husband," Stefan dismisses easily. "Most likely, you won't be last. And since you had no intention of actually killing me, and you have no intention of trying it again?" He waits for confirmation.  
  
Bobbie fights a sheepish smile. "No."  
  
"Good. Then I see no reason why we shouldn't have an excellent marriage." Stefan brushes his hand along the pulse point of her throat. She had done the one thing he needed for her to do to make their marriage viable: Banish Luke. The rest would be easy. "Given how we made love last night, you cannot deny how you feel. You want what we have together as much as me."  
  
Bobbie's heart skips, remembering exactly how wild last night had been. If the make-up sex was always going to be so hot, she might have to pick more fights. "I won't deny it. But we have to rebuild trust between us."  
  
Stefan smiles at the lovely picture of his wife blushing. "Do you have a suggestion on how we accomplish that?"  
  
Bobbie struggles with her conscience. She wants this marriage with Stefan to work and to do that they need a clean slate. They can't very well have that, she reasons, if she continues to keeps things from him. And she'll have no one but herself to blame when things go south. But keeping Luke's secrets are second nature to her. Even now, after cutting him out of her life for good, the idea of breaking his confidence puts knots in her stomach.  
  
Stefan watches her internal struggle with interest. "Was I wrong in believing you had some idea on how to rebuild the trust?"  
  
"No... I mean I do. I think in order have trust we must be honest with each other..." Bobbie hesitates, then swallows the lump in her throat and plunges ahead. "And in the spirit of honesty, I think you need to know I wasn't really looking for love letters last night."  
  
It takes a moment for Bobbie's confession to sink in. "I see." Stefan studies Bobbie, weighing the opportunity she's giving him. "I am aware of Luke's paranoid ramblings, that he was convinced I was about to unleash a devastating computer virus."  
  
"You knew?!" **_The big secret is no secret at all?_**  
  
"I am a man who knows things, Barbara," Stefan reminds her. "And in the interest of building trust, I will acknowledge I am in possession of a computer virus. But I never had any intention of unleashing it." He pauses to gauge her reaction, pleased to see she is surprised and curious. Signs that she isn't dismissing his explanation immediately. "I was examining it to develop the antidote. Since I was successful, it is no longer a threat."  
  
"So then the power outage at GH... during Audrey's surgery..." Bobbie asks carefully. "That must have been Cooper not the virus."  
  
"Cooper obtained a copy of the virus," Stefan explains, lying easily. "I was able to use the antidote I developed to minimize the damage to General Hospital."  
  
Bobbie swallows. It all sounded so plausible. And ohh, how she wants to believe him, even knowing what he is capable of. "So there won't be any more power outages, right? Or stories on the evening news about computer viruses taking over the country?"  
  
"While I have no divine power to control such things, I don't anticipate more power outages." Taking one of her hands, Stefan twines her fingers with his. Their eyes meet. "You can believe me when I say I would never intentionally hurt the people you love."  
  
"Good." Bobbie lets out the breath she had been holding. He's given her more assurances than she expected. Now it's time to trust him a little more. "I have another admission to make..."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
Bobbie licks her lips nervously. No good way to put this.... "I tried to break into your computer. Actually I succeeded, but you interrupted me before I found anything."  
  
"I guessed as much," Stefan answers calmly, privately pleased she is so forthcoming. The fewer secrets there were, the smoother the coming weeks would be. They would need their combined strength for other battles.  
  
"How?" Bobbie is floored. "You knew all along, and didn't confront me?"  
  
"Every time my back was turned, you and your brother had your heads together," Stefan reveals. "Then Luke picked a fight that was far from convincing. When I returned to my laptop, it was warm when it should have been cool to the touch." Tiring of the position on top of Bobbie, Stefan rolls off to her side, pulling her along with him so they are still eye to eye. Close. Bodies entwined. "Luke obviously had an accomplice, and you were the logical choice. As for why I didn't confront you, I had no proof. I had no wish to damage our marriage."  
  
Bobbie searches his face. "You're not angry?"  
  
"Am I pleased your trust in me sunk so low that you believed me capable of such villainy? No. But I understand where it came from." Stefan lays on his back, one arm crooked behind his head. His other hand stretches towards Bobbie, to stroke her cheek tenderly. "I spent a great deal of time on the Katherine Bell problem. I was not as attentive to you as I should have been. I left you vulnerable to Luke when I knew he was desperate to get you away from me. And if I had been more attentive, more loving, you wouldn't have turned to Luke for answers. So I blame myself. I will not make the same mistake again. You and our family will be my only priority."  
  
"Luke is not part of my family anymore. It might take me some time to get over what he did, but I meant it last night when I said I cut all ties. I'm through with him." Bobbie places her hand over Stefan's heart, next to where the Cassadine medallion lays. His admission that he had neglected her opened a part of her heart she'd kept locked away. "And I promise not to let my imagination run away with me."  
  
"I must insist on your trust and loyalty." To emphasize his point, Stefan gently takes her hand and places it over the Cassadine medallion. He wraps her fingers around it so she is clasping it in her hand. His eyes lock with hers. "I don't expect you to be blind, but I expect you to bring your concerns to me. Do not seek answers outside our marriage. I have said this before, I am used to acting alone, operating in secrecy because of the havoc Helena was capable of. Sharing my plans with anyone could have meant my death or theirs. I am still learning what it means to be married, but decades of necessary secrecy are hard to break. But I want to trust you, Barbara."  
  
Bobbie squeezes the medallion. "I know it will take time to earn your trust again, but I will! Our children and you are my only family now, Stefan. You and the family will always come first."  
  
"Our family comes first, as it should be." Stefan says in agreement. "We will care for our children together, all of our children. Any battles to be fought will be fought together. "  
  
A brief flash of grief bolts through Bobbie at the thought of Carly. "Yes."  
  
Stefan catches the look of distress on his wife's face before she can cover it. "Are there any conditions you wish to propose, Mrs Cassadine?"  
  
Bobbie thinks for a moment. "No cheating," she says adamantly. "If I catch you cheating, I'm gone. I'll divorce you so fast your head will spin."  
  
"NO." In one swift move Stefan rolls on top of her, trapping her under him and pinning her with his fierce gaze. Gone is the relaxed gentle lover, and in it's place is the unrelenting predator of last night. "I will never agree to a condition which includes divorce as a result. I will renegotiate the terms of our marriage, but I will never negotiate our divorce." Feeling her tense, Stefan takes her face in his hands and kisses her until her resistance melts. Breaking the kiss he forces her to look at him, to see the strength of his resolve. "You may believe it, Mrs Cassadine. Cassadine marriages are forever. We are married for **life**."  
  
**_Oh God, he means it_**. Bobbie's heart does a triple-half gainer. His words have taken all the fight out of her. He'd never leave her, he'd never let her leave him.... When, in all her life, has she had such an ironclad guarantee? **_Never._** Her throat closes, making her voice sound as small and scared as she feels. "I don't know how to do forever, Stefan."  
  
Her anxiety is so plain that Stefan's face softens. "With time, you will learn to trust me, to trust in us." Relaxing his stance, he runs a finger over her swollen lips. "To that end, I wish to add another condition. You will banish the word 'divorce' from your vocabulary. I don't want to hear the word come out of your mouth again."  
  
"Yes, sir." Bobbie answers, bringing her hand up in mock salute, using humor to dispel her uncertainty. "But don't think I've forgotten my condition. No cheating, I won't share you with another woman. EVER."  
  
"You have become possessive, have you?" Stefan muses, liking the sound of it. "I can agree to your condition so long as you understand I will not share you either." Stefan's mouth captures hers for a searing kiss full of passion and promise. "Ever."  
  
Bobbie shivers.The stakes in their marriage have definitely gone up. This is no longer a marriage of convenience, it is a marriage of.... well with any other man it would be a marriage of love. Perhaps it's still a good description, even if they never say the words to each other. However it's defined, Stefan's actions speak volumes. Not one man in her life has fought for her the way this man has. Many men had claimed to love her and left, but this man, this complex and baffling and sometimes ruthless man, is willing to fight tooth and nail to keep her. Yes, he hurt her badly, but she isn't blameless either. He wants her in spite of her betrayal, in spite of her family. And she wants him just as much.  
  
"You're the only one I want." Bobbie answers his kiss with her own, slipping a hand up his lean muscled chest to wrap around his neck. She shudders when she feels one of his hands lightly caress the side of her rib cage near her breast. The teasing touch inflames her hunger for him. She opens herself to him completely, giving him her tenderness and passion freely, breathless in her desire.  
  
Stefan stills for a moment, cupping her cheek with his hand, forcing her eyes to stare into his as they join as one. He challenges her not to look away. Then, taking her complacent hands, he places them beside her head, twining their fingers together, palm to palm. They make love, eyes locked to each other as their bodies are, rebuilding their bond, their commitment to each other, stronger than ever. More intimate, more vulnerable, more intense. Unbreachable by outside forces.  
  
**_I will never leave you_**, His eyes tell hers.  
**_  
I will be yours forever. Only yours,_** She answers.  
  
**_It is you, only you, _** He vows.  
  
And as the feelings intensify inside her, she is moved to pledge silently, **_I love you, Stefan, forever and ever._**  
  
Stefan's head swims at the look of absolute devotion in his wife's eyes as she climaxes under him. It's as if, in this moment as their bodies are joined, he is the only one who exists for her. Given his experience with women in his past, he knows the look she's giving him is different. It isn't just a momentary flicker of gratitude for the pleasure and diversion of lovemaking, it's as real and enduring as it gets. And it was far more than he dared to hope for.  
  
Stefan lets go of one hand and traces the side of his wife's cheek, committing the look on her face to memory. In this defining moment, his future with her becomes clear. He will strive not only bring this look back into her eyes again and again, but to be the husband who deserves her devotion.  
  
Bobbie turns her face towards his hand, planting a kiss in his palm. "What are you thinking?"  
  
Stefan smiles down at her with genuine contentment. "We are going to have a long and happy marriage, Mrs Cassadine."  
  
Thinking of the last twenty four hours, Bobbie grins back. "Well I'm sure it will never be boring."  
  
"No," Stefan chuckles. A devilish thought occurs. "Never boring. But from now on, I believe I will be the one pouring the Port."  
  
Bobbie's eyes twinkle with mirth. They'd made it. "That's probably a good idea."  
  



End file.
